The Chosen One
by maipigen
Summary: What if Buffy never reconnected with her Scoobies after the Zombie incident? Stand alone I've fiddled with for ages. VERY willing to let someone else tackle this by way of adoption! Please!


**I don't own Buffy or any of its related franchise. Sadly though…**

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 _A/N I was trying to write my ongoing stories, I really was, but the inspiration is slow these days. In the midst of my old clutter from my last move I found an old USB drive with several of first drafts to other stories. This one has been in the works for about 8 years give or take (time flies heh) and right now I doubt I'll continue until I've worked on a more proper plotline, but if anyone is interested in this or even remotely willing to take over, PLEASE do and let me know so I can read it! Enjoy!_

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 **Unbetaed**

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 **The Chosen One**

 _Idea: What if Buffy never reconnected with the Scooby gang after her return in season tree?_

 **0o0o0**

Buffy sat in her bedroom with her bags spread all over the place. She was frozen on the bed. It was dark outside and she had no idea how long she'd been sitting on her bed and frankly, she didn't really care.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and she looked over at the door, which opened and revealed her mom, Joyce. "Hi Buffy," she greeted quietly and walked hesitantly inside the room. "I brought you some soup."

Buffy nodded mutely and took the cup from her mother's hands and set it on the nightstand – untouched. "Thanks," she muttered and leaned back on all her pillows.

After a long minute Buffy realized that her mom hadn't left and still stood by the side of her bed. "Do you want anything?" she asked without looking at her. Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy saw the flinch her cool words had on her mom and she swallowed down her guilt and said nothing else.

Joyce sighed and said, "I know tonight didn't turn out the way either of us expected and I'm sorry for that." Buffy's head snapped up and for the first time the older woman saw Buffy's real state of mind. "Sorry?" Buffy said, "For what exactly? That my friends hate me for leaving? That everyone including you thinks I'm the most selfish girl on the planet? And that right before our house was stormed with zombies my friend's all but disowned me and our friendship?"

Joyce didn't respond and Buffy huffed and added coolly, "I was so scared of coming home…" Buffy hesitated and said in a dead tone of voice, "You know what, I'm not doing this anymore – talking forever about my issues, when it's obvious you all made up your minds about me the minute I set foot back in Sunnydale. Well, bravo mom. Go and work in peace and prosperity and what not – and know that I'm gonna go back to High School and graduate with honors and fight the Nightlife on the side with my Watcher. All alone as I'm destined to."

Buffy's dark chuckle made the hairs on the back of Joyce's neck stand up. "Because mom, let me tell you something…If all had been done the right way, I mean if Fate hadn't screwed me over, I would have been taken away from you as a child to train – so I'm gonna stop acting like an emotional teenager over some so-called family-problem and turn into the best Slayer there is. Goodnight, I'm going out and _don't_ wait up for me."

Buffy slid off her bed elegantly and walked past Joyce, who reached out and grabbed her only child's arm. "Buffy," she began – trying to sound firm, "you can't just go out like this – we have to talk about all of this. I mean, you just got back."

Buffy looked down on the hand, which held her, and said softly, "It doesn't matter what you say, the forces of evil waits for no one. If I don't go out there, someone might get killed – including my friends, whose been playing Slayer in my absence. I can't risk their lives or anyone else's anymore, Mom. Let me go."

Joyce released her with a heavy sigh, fear showing through her eyes, "I can't do this again, Buffy."

Buffy looked up and Joyce immediately realized she'd been misunderstood, when she saw the unmasked and raw hurt in her daughter's eyes.

"Okay," the teenage girl said coldly, and before Joyce could say or do anything else The Slayer was gone.

0o0o0

When Joyce woke up the next morning on the couch where she'd been awake most of the night waiting for her child, she ran up the stairs to Buffy's room and stopped dead in the doorway. The duffel bag was missing from the floor. "No…" Joyce whispered and slid down on the floor with a quiet moan.

At the same time across town an exhausted Englishman was opening his front door. "Hi Giles," Buffy's serious voice woke up the Watcher more efficiently than any coffee could.

"Buffy – err, what are you doing here?"

Buffy smirked and threw him the huge bag in her arms easily. When the weight fell into his arms, Giles almost toppled backwards at the sudden strain. "I thought it was obvious," she said and fell down on the soft couch she'd occupied the night before together with her now former friends, "I'm kindda moving in. I need you to train me."

"Excuse me?" Was all Giles could bring over his lips and Buffy smiled. It was a cold smile and when she didn't elaborate, Giles had to repress a sudden urge to mutter, "oh dear."

 **0o0o0**

 _One year later at the Sunnydale College campus._

Willow, Oz, Xander and Cordelia were sitting together in Willow and Cordelia's dorm. They looked serious and tired. Oz was gently rubbing his girlfriend's back, while she was telling the gang about her recent news.

"Joyce told me that she'd gotten a postcard from them last week and that they were still recuperating after their fight with the Mayor. I still can't believe she took on that Big Bad all alone – I mean with only Angel and Giles to help her…"

Cordelia added, "Yeah and _I_ still can't believe he wanted to turn himself into an ugly snake – I mean my parents had him over at a fundraiser once and I shook his _hand_." Xander grinned and kissed her on the cheek, but said nothing.

This last year had matured the quartet immensely. They were taking turns patrolling the streets at night and after spending a year with only each other, it had made them a tight group which other people tended to avoid.

Until now, they'd all agreed that they would try to act natural on campus, where no one really knew them. And as for Buffy, well, she'd done what they hadn't really believed she would.

After their huge fight on Zombie night, she'd gone to Giles and no one had seen them since. It had been the Council, who'd unknowingly spilled the beans of their whereabouts. They had moved to Cleveland and battled it out on the other Hellmouth. Through the grapevine the gang had discovered that Angel had returned and was once more fighting crime at his beloved Slayer's side.

The quartet talked a bit about Buffy's escapades in Cleveland and then proceeded to go to their shared class. They were so emerged in each other; all four of them shared the same class –Although, Xander wasn't particularly happy about being in Psych 101. The teacher had introduced herself as the Evil Bitch Master from Hell after all. Maggie Walsh.

"Come on, it's gonna be great – right, Oz?" Willow urged and the werewolf nodded mutely and led the others to four available seats nearby.

When the class ended they continued on to their mythology class- a subject all agreed they could stand to learn more about now that their trusty Librarian was no longer at hand to provide much needed insights.

They sat down in front and waited with all the other students. Finally, just after Xander stated he'd walk out of the class if the teacher didn't show, said person did.

And they nearly fell of their chairs at the sight before them. Rupert Giles, truly a changed man. He looked younger and freer than they'd ever seen him. He had a new scar on his right cheek and his eyes looked brighter and more observant somehow.

He was still wearing his glasses though, which somehow managed to sooth all of the four former Scoobies. Willow opened her mouth to greet him happily when his eyes landed on her and the others. She quickly lost all ability to speak at the sight of pure ice that was bestowed upon her. Judging from the silence next to her, the others were feeling it too.

Giles' gaze left them and they found they could breathe again. Neither of them dared say a word. It was clear that the former librarian was waiting for something. Or, really, someone's, as it turned out a moment later, when Buffy came through the door with Angel's hand clasped in hers.

"Sorry we're late, Rupert," Angel's voice sounded and Buffy took over as they sat down at the row closest to him.

"Yeah, we were just leaving the cafeteria when there was a huge, unavoidable rodent problem. It's cool though, nothing we couldn't handle, but one of them was armed with a pudding cup of all things so I had to run back to change. Won't happen again."

The Slayer and Vampire didn't seem to notice the group of their former friends, let alone the huge impact their arrival had on them.

Giles surreptitiously eyed the former group of students that he'd honestly cared for and recognized the signs of imminent talking. Without giving them a shot at speech, he jumped into his introduction and barreled over any attempts at questions from anyone.

It would seem that Maggie Walsh wasn't the only Hell Master teaching Sunnydale anymore.

 **0o0o0**

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 **A/N: TBC? Adopted by someone? Is anyone even reading this?**


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